NEXUS-ISRS Strategic Pattern Register (SPR) Internship

Research & Database Development

Program Overview

Interns will assist in the construction of the Strategic Pattern Register (SPR), a research database designed to identify and track recurring behaviors in cyber operations across incidents, actors, regions, and domains. The initial pilot focuses on Strategic Spillover, Attention Saturation, and Distributed Coercion. The database will be used in future cyber conflict assessment by the Institute for Strategic Risk and Security (NGO).

What Interns Will Do

• Research cases: Identify relevant incidents through credible news, government, and academic sources.
• Build database entries: Record key information including dates, locations, actors, activities, domains, and sources.
• Classify behaviors: Assess incidents using the SPR's definitions and criteria to determine which strategic behavior they represent.
• Document evidence: Maintain reliable source citations and supporting evidence for each entry.
• Identify patterns: Compare cases across incidents, actors, and regions to identify recurring behaviors and trends.
• Quality control: Review entries for accuracy, consistency, and completeness.

Skills Gained

This internship provides an opportunity to contribute to the work of an academic research lab and NGO while gaining hands-on experience in cyber research, geopolitical research, open-source research, qualitative data collection, analytical coding, database development, and strategic pattern analysis.

 

Project Deliverables

Intern research will help transform individual incidents into a structured evidence base that can support Behavior Profiles, Strategic Pattern Watch reports, and future SPR analysis. The goal is to build a repeatable methodology for turning event-level research into institutional knowledge.

Contact Dr. Helen Potts (Helen.Potts@unt.edu) for more information.